Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Handicap Accessible✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-“Hi-Tech” Attraction✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-Indoor/Outdoor Attraction
How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
UPDATE FOR 2022: Our former “Atmosphere” and “Theme” categories have now been combined and renamed “Immersion.” Our intent with this is to give more appropriate credit to attractions that have shown a clear focus on achieving and maintaining better customer experiences (both inside and outside the attractions) and developing creative storylines.
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Final Score: 8.28
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.75
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.06
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.28
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7.02
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 9.19
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.01
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.02
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.3
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Summary:
Twisted Trails is a brand new attraction that just broke ground in July. We’d say this was an impressively done trail even for a veteran attraction, but really outstanding considering its newness!
It’s located at Camp Kirkwood, an appealing natural setting that hosts summer youth camps and similar events throughout the year. The haunt consists of one (long) trail that starts off with a (short) wagon ride.
Cast: 8.75
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.6
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.8
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.9
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.4
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The cast was a delight. There were plenty of them (40+) and most of them were chatty as could be, regaling us with disturbing/amusing dialogue. A couple were just there to yell or stare, which is perfectly fine too, in the right spot and situation!
We’ve seen a lot of crawling actors this year, but we’ve got to hand it to the couple of folks here who laid out or folded themselves into a lump on the gravel and uncorked themselves with weird movements. If only crab walking was an Olympic event… the level of difficulty here was high. On gravel, ouch!
The varied weirdos on the early part of the trail started things off nicely. The girl/doll and clown at the doll house were totally creeptastic. The vampires were convincingly thirst-crazed.
Characters varied from traditional monsters (werebeasts, vampires, a witch) to more contemporary (clowns, dolls, cultists, assorted psychos), but they were all well realized and portrayed… including the few victims we heard or saw, who acted positively pitiful.
Costuming: 9.06
How Did We Get This Score?
Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):
(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 9.1
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9.4
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.4
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.6
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In a word, excellent. Twisted Trails deployed the best makeup, masks, and costumes we’ve seen this season.
From the fancy, fully detailed duds of the Collector (well on display in a brighter room) to the full-body costume for the werewolf, the deathly paint jobs on the vampires, and comprehensive head-to-toe costumes for all, everything was very much on point.
Customer Service: 8.28
How Did We Get This Score?
Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):
(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 7.8Explanation:
More visible signage would probably be helpful.
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 8.4
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 8.5
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 8.4
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Twisted Trails is located in Wilmington, just off I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati. GPS took us right to it. Larger or more prominent signage at the entrance would have been helpful and appreciated. For locals or anyone familiar with the area, it also helps to know it’s on the grounds of Camp Kirkwood.
Free parking was available inside the camp and right next to the ticket tables, flanked by a large line of port-a-potties. Parking attendants guided us to our spot.
Merchandise included beanie hats, hoodies, and a prodigious seven different designs of t-shirts! Also for sale were beverages and snacks, including some fun mixtures in IV drip bags.
The trail itself was almost all gravel and very smooth going aside from some hilly ups and downs of the terrain, which might make the older or less fit of us wheeze a tiny bit. As with any trail, you’ll want to wear solid closed footwear here.
Ropes and some other obstructions were set up to keep visitors on the trail, but lighting (or darkness) made the roping somewhat difficult to see at times, and in fact, we almost walked off the course once. Patrons who walk carefully should be fine. Anyone who brings little kids prone to wander will want to keep them close by.
The wagon part of the trail is wheelchair accessible. Security and staff are plentiful, recognizable, and visible. Police and emergency responders are on site. Security vehicles can travel quickly to any part of the trail for a fast response to any notable situation.
Their website is informative and sports a pleasing design, and social media contains makeup tutorials and other neat tidbits’two of the principal architects are makeup artists formerly associated with the longstanding Cincinnati area haunt USS Nightmare.
Atmosphere: 7.02
How Did We Get This Score?
Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):
(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 6.9
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7.2
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The best and most evocative part of the atmosphere was supplied by driving through the long, dark entrance road through a phalanx of giant trees. Once parked, the trees seemed even more impressive. We felt dwarfed by them as we walked to the ticket area. The ticket tables, and merch tables on the other side, were surrounded by plenty of pumpkins and other seasonal signifiers.
Before the haunt proper, we started with a visit to the impressively decorated Collector’s cabin, where he voiced the theme of traveling through the woods infested by his escaped specimens. After being dismissed, a nifty jack o’ lantern display gave off that warm Halloween-y feeling.
A wagon just around the corner awaited us to begin the first part of the journey. At the wagon-to-trail transition, another fantastic assortment of jack o’ lanterns brought back those seasonal sensations.
Special Effects: 9.19
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9.5Explanation:
Really well done sound fx and an ace audio system.
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.8
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8.9
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 9.3
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 9.5
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Fabulous visual and audio effects started right away on the 5-minute wagon ride, with a couple of great looking scenes and animatronic figures, a giant spider set, screams echoing in the woods, and other disturbing sounds.
Twisted Trails gave us a laser swamp room and decided to go big or go home with their inflatable squeeze tunnels. These were the longest and tightest we’ve yet to experience… and there were three of them! If you love these, you’ll be in constricted heaven. If not, well, feel free to walk around ’em thricely.
The attraction definitively flexed its effects muscles with fantastic props, wonderful creative sets, great lighting, and the best and spookiest sounds we’ve heard this year.
Theme: 8.01
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 7.9
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 8
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8.2
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In his cabin we met the Collector, one of those insane zookeeper types, who informed us that he had lost his vampires, werewolves, witches, and pumpkinhead monster in the woods, as one does. Whoopsie! He implored us to help find them… unless they found us first?
It’s a rather loose theme, but it gave some cohesion to the whole thing and made for a great intro with the nattily dressed and convincing performer.
Scare Factor: 8.02
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.6
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 5.6Explanation:
We were followed for a while at distance by a character, and an animatronic at the very end was mistimed a bit, going off after we had passed it up.
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It was a good amount of scary, and everyone got in on the act! The vampires were all over us in their tomb, dying for a bite to eat. They forced us into corners and invited us to try out their coffins, all while laughing at our plight. The doll house combo cast delivered multiple frights from in and out of their structure.
Foreshadowing of upcoming scares for heightened tension was effective, particularly with the werewolf (howling noises and other signs of a beastly presence) and vampire clan (one vamp came out to meet us, walked and talked with us for a while, issued a challenge, and then called out for his family to feed).
A clever use of the laser swamp also delivered a good startle. The deep, dark forest was itself a disquieting presence, and coupled with the creepy sounds and music, left us vulnerable to misdirection scares aplenty from a cast that knew its spaces and worked within them well.
There was a great flow to the scares and the whole experience. Multiple characters often ganged up on us, while quiet stretches allowed us to take in the dark walk in the creepy forest, and wonder what would happen next, before the next scene came along.
Entertainment & Value: 7.3
How Did We Get This Score?
Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 8.7
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 3.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8.6
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 8.2
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We took 33 minutes to traipse along the trail. Admission is $20, or $30 for a fast pass. The MPD (minutes of entertainment per dollar spent) equates to 1.65, already higher than average, and graded on a curve, it’s really good given the overall excellence of the haunt’s content.
Contact the box office for group sales of 20 or more. On Fridays, first responders (police/fire/EMT) get in for free with an appropriate ID. Check the website for info on tickets for active military, veterans, and their families.
Proceeds go to the camp and a local charity/humanitarian relief organization (Matthew 25 Ministries).
As a brand new attraction, plenty of people don’t know about this place yet, so there wasn’t too bad of a line when we were there. You might want to consider going there before the crowds get out of control!
In our opinion, a trail is one of the most delightful forms for a haunt to take, and this new one went above and beyond in its first year to deliver fistfuls of frights and fun.
How Did We Get These Scores
Our Rating System
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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